Electrical connector assembly for insulated flat cable



June 7, 1966 E. w. FORNEY, JR

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY FOR INSULATED FLAT CABLE Original FiledSept. 4, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet l m w m m June 7, 1966 E. w. FORNEY, JR

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY FOR INSULATED FLAT CABLE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2Original Filed Sept. 4, 1963 INVENTOR. EDGAR w. FoRNEY JR.

BY fm June 7, 1966 E. w. FORNEY, JR

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY FOR INSULATED FLAT CABLE 4 Sheets-Sheet 5Original Filed Sept. 4, 1963 INVENTOR Enema \J. FoRNw JR. BY 4L2;'wzfiaanw June 7,- 1966 E. w. FORNEY, JR 3,255,429

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY FOR INSULATED FLAT CABLE Original FiledSept. 4, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent 3,255,429ELECTRICAL'CQNNECTQR ASSEMBLY FOR INSULATED FLAT CABLE Edgar WilmotForney, Jr., Harrisburg, Pa., assignor to AMP Incorporated, Harrisburg,Pa. Continuation of application Ser. No. 306,523, Sept. 4, 1963. Thisapplication June 9, 1&65, Ser. No. 462,668 4 Claims. (Cl. 33999) This isa continuation of my prior application, Serial Number 306,523, filedSeptember 4, 1963, now US. Patent No. 3,200,364, which in turn is acontinuationin-part of the parent application, Serial Number 223,097,filed September 12, 1962, now abandoned.

A current trend in the design of electrical circuitry is the use offlexible flat cable forming a ribbon-like strip such as sold under theregistered trademark Tape Cable by the Tape Cable Corporation,comprising a flat strip of insulation having a plurality of parallelconductors embedded therein. This cable is lightweight and saves spacein circuit design. Additionally, it can be coated with an adhesive andeasily secured to the sidewall of a panel or wherever it is used.

One of the disadvantages of using such cable is the difliculty injoining it to conventional electrical conductors which may be secured tothe components in the circuit. It is an object of this invention toprovide a device which can be used to join flat cable to conventionalconductors. It is also an object of this invention to provide such adevice without pro-stripping the insulation on the flat cable.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a device forsecuring conductors to flat cable, whereby a plurality of suchconductors may be secured to any one of the conductors in the cable, andalso be easily disconnected whenever necessary.

It is another object of this invention to provide a device which may beused either intermediate the ends, or at the ends of a fiat cable to tapcurrent from the cable. This device may also be used to join the ends oftwo flat cables in conductive relationship.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a clip-type connectorwhich may be secured to a conductor for joining the conductor to a fiatcable. The connector is easily secured to the conductor without the useof any special tools, and may be inserted into a receptable which willhold it in tight engagement with the conductor.

Other objects and attainments of the present invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the followingdetailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings inwhich there is shown and described illustrative embodiments of theinvention; it is to be understood, however, that these embodiments arenot intended to be exhaustive nor limiting of the invention but aregiven for purposes of illustration in order that others skilled in theart may fully understand the invention and the principles thereof andthe manner of applying it in practical use so that they may modify it invarious forms, each as may be best suited to the conditions of aparticular use.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded, perspective view of a fiat cable connectorembodying the principles of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1, showing the clamping meansinserted into the base member to bind a flat cable therein;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken through plane 33 of FIGURE 4,illustrating the assembled device with a conductor and a flatcablesecured therein;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along plane 44 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along plane 5-5 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the conductorreceiving receptacle;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of a length of flat cable;

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of a bundle of wires having connectorssecured thereto and strain-relief means;

FIGURE 9 is a top plan view of the base member shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 10 is a top plan view of the insert illustrated in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 11 is a perspective view of a clip-type connector applied to aconductor, which may be secured in conjunction with the insert of FIGURE10;

FIGURE 12 is a side view of the clip of FIGURE 11 as secured to thereceptacle;

FIGURE 13 comprises a blanked-out strip of metal useful in forming theclip of FIGURES 11 and 12;

FIGURE 14 is a perspective view of an embodiment of theconductor-receiving receptacle;

FIGURE 15 is a part sectional vertical view of the receptacle of FIGURE14 mounted in the insert which in turn is mounted in the base member;and

FIGURE 16 is a sectional view taken along plane 16-16 of FIGURE 15. I

As shown in FIGURE 1, the connector assembly comprises three basicparts: the base member A; the insert or clamping means B; and the covermeans C. Preferably, the device is made of any suitable plastic whichmay be readily molded into the desired shape and is sufliciently strongto resist the usual wearand tear in usage.

A typical length of insulated flat cable, as shown in FIG- URE 7 iscomprised of one or more layers of insulating plastic 10. A plurality offlat copper conductors 12 are embedded therein. These conductors arenormally parallel to each other and run the length of the cable.Additionally, an adhesive backing may be provided on one side of thefiat cable to permit it to be secured to a wall, chassis, etc. While theinvention is most useful when it is applied to tape cable, it may beused with any electrical conductor.

As shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, the base member A comprises a planar bottomwall 16 which is generally rectangular. A set of posts 18, 18' extendupwardly from one end of the bottom wall 16. Each of these posts has anundercut 20 (only one shown in FIGURE 1) at the juncture of the post andthe wall. The space between the posts 18, 18 contains an aperture with athreaded insert 23 for receiving a retaining screw 28. A second set ofposts 24, 24' also extends from the planar wall 16. The second set ofposts is spaced from the fisrt set and parallel thereto. An aperturewith a threaded insert 26 3 is located in the space between the posts24, 24', and is also adapted to receive a retaining screw 28'.

The portion of the base member defined by the posts 18, 18 and the posts24, 24' is adapted to accommodate the flat cable 10, as well as theclamping means B which retains the flat cable therein. As seen inFIGURES 2 and 3, the flat cable extends through the assembly between theposts and at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the device. Thecable is raised slightly at the sides of the block by risers 30 and 32.

The riser 30 extends between the post 18 and the post 24. The riser 32is slightly tapered on its inner surface and is similarly locatedbetween posts 18 and 24. A slot is located between each riser and eachof the posts. Guide members 34 and 34 on each end of the riser 30 arespaced from each other a distance slightly greater than the width of theflat cable. The guides insure alignment of the flat cable disposedbetween the projections. A similar set of guides 36, 36' are provided onthe riser 32 to'align the cable with respect to the riser 32.

The conductor-receiving end of the base member A is slotted at 38(FIGURES 1 and 4) to receive a threaded screw 40 (FIGURE 3) to securethe device to a wall or chassis 42. The slot 38 is slightly undercut(FIGURE 4) to form a shoulder 44 to seat the head of the screw 40.Making the slot longitudinal permits adjustment of the device on thewall to facilitate alignment with the flat cable.

Also extending from the base member A, in the vicinity of thelongitudinal slot 38, is a pair of strain-relief posts 46, 46'. As shownin FIGURES 1 and 2, these posts are generally L-shaped (upside down)with the foot of the L directed away from the slot 38. These posts areuseful in conjunction with conductors which are not provided with astrain-relief means. Such conductors may be wrapped around these postsprior to making a connection so that any strain on the conductor will betaken up by the posts rather than by the connection. Undercut portions(similar to undercut portions 20) are located at the base of each post.

When it is desired to use the device with a set of bundled wires, a pairof strain-relief members 48 and 48 at the outer extremities of slot 38may be employed. These members are generally U-shaped and face eachother to form a channel 49, 49'. A ferrule 50 (FIGURE 8) with a pair ofears 52, 52 emanating therefrom may be secured around the bundle ofwires 54 and deformed thereon. The ferrule 50 may then be insertedbetween the members 48 and 48 with the ears 52, 52' extending into theslot 49, 49' formed by the alignment of these members. Any tensilestrain on the bundle will be resisted by the ears 52, 52' on the ferrule50, rather than by the connectors.

Directing attention to the clamping member B, it is also comprised ofplastic, preferably of the same material as the rest of the device. Thisclamping member comprises a central block 56 and a plurality ofparallel, slotted apertures 58 disposed therein. These apertures containreceptacle members of the type illustrated in FIGURE 6. Each end of theblock has a flange 60, 60' with an opening therein to receive the screws28 and 28 respectively. The side portions of the blocks have clampmembers 62 and 62' (FIGURES 1 and 2) extending therefrom. The clampmembers 62, 62' are secured to the side of the block 56 and designed tofit over the risers 30, 32.

In assembly, the block 56 is inserted onto the base member A with thebottom section of the block disposed between the risers and 32. Theclamp member 62 surrounds the riser 30 and tightly engages it.Similarly, the clamp member 62' surrounds the riser 32. In thisposition, the screw 28 passes through the opening in the flange 60 atone end of the block 56, and is threaded into the threaded member 23 inthe base member to secure the clamping member into the base member A.The screw 4 28' passes through the opening in the flange 60 and threadsinto the opening 26 in the base member A so that the block 56 is tightlysecured to the base member.

The receptacle means as shown in FIGURE 6 comprises a plate member 64having lateral extensions 66 and 66. The lateral extensions have sharpcorners that are adapted to scrape the insulation from the tape when theconnection is made. Surrounding the plate 64 is a spring clip 68 havingone edge 70 which secures it to the plate 64. The opposite edge 72 ofthe clip 68 resiliently engages one side of the plate 64. This permitsan electrical connector having a blade 74 to be inserted between theresilient spring 72 and the plate 64 so that it can be readily engagedor disengaged,

As shown in FIGURES 1 and 3, a receptacle may be inserted into eachofthe slots 58 and retained therein (e.g., by an insulating strip 76bonded to the bottom of the block 56, as shown in FIGURES 3 and 5). Theextensions 66 and 66 protrude slightly from the sides of the block 56(note FIGURES l and 5).

The cover member C comprises a housing 7 8 (FIGURE 1) which may besnapped onto the assembly. One end of the housing has a U-shaped,reinforced opening 80 to permit ingress of the conductors. The innersurface of .the cover has an inwardly-extending lip 82 which snaps intothe undercut portion 20' at one end of the base member A. The cover ishooked onto the undercuts 20 and then cammed down over the posts 18, 18at the other end until it snaps into undercuts 20. Slots 84 and 84' onthe sides of the cover member C permit entry of the fiat cable (noteFIGURES 1 and 5), and provides clearance for clamp members 62 and 62.

A slotted bar 86 is attached to the cover on the outer surface at oneend thereof. This may be used in disengaging the cover from the basemember by prying the bar outwardly to release the lip 82 from theundercut portion 20.

A longitudinally-extending fin 88 extends from the inner surface of thecover 78 (FIGURES 3 and 4) adjacent the U-shaped opening 80. This fin 88bears upon the top of the bundle of wires inserted therein to securethem on the base member A.

Operation-When it is desired to attach the device to flat cable 10 on awall 42, the base member A is secured to the wall by a screw 40 fittedthrough the aperture 38 in the base member A. The flat cable 10 entersthe assembly over the riser 30, and is trimmed so that its end ispositioned in the well between the risers 30 and 32. An additional cablemay be introduced in like manner over the riser 32 (FIGURES l and 5). (Asingle length of fiat cable may be fed through the device in the samemanner.) The clamping member B is fitted onto the base member A byinserting the block 56 between the risers 30 and 32. The clampingmembers 62, 62 surround the risers 30 and 32 respectively, to tightlyengage the fiat cable 10 between the block and the inside surface of therisers.

Screws 28 and 28 are inserted into the threaded openings 22 and 26, thussecuring the insert member B to the base member A. As the insert B isforced toward the 1 base A, the tapered, inner surfaces of risers 30 and32 force the tape cable into close proximity to the outwardlyextendingportions 66, 66 of the connector plates 64, causing insulation to bescraped from the surface of the flat cable to expose the conductors 12.The connector plates 64 and the conductors 12 make electrical contact.

A bundle of wires 54 having blade-type terminals 74 on the end of eachwire may be inserted into the base member A so that the ferrule 50 onthe bundle is disposed between the posts 48, 48' and the projections 46,46. The cars 52, 52 on the ferrule 50 fit' into the slots 49, 49 toanchor the bundle of wires in proper position and provide astrain-relief. The blades 74 of the terminals may be fitted into theappropriate slots 58 to make connection with the copper conductor 12 ofthe flat cable via receptacle 64. An arcuate section in the slotaccommodes the ferrule portion of the terminal. The cover C is snappedin place with the lips 82, 82' on the inner surfaces of the coverfitting into the undercut portions 20 and 20'. The fin 88 bears upon theferrule 50 to properly retain it in place.

An embodiment of a clip-type connector 110, adapted to be used in theassembly, may be blanked-out from a strip of sheet metal in the mannershown in FIGURE 13. This clip is generally a parallelogram, havingopposed parallel sides 112, 114, and 116, 118. Sides 112 and 114 from anacute angle and sides 116 and 118 form an identical acute angle.

A pair of rectangular openings 120 and 122 are formed centrally of theclip along the central line thereof. These openings are parallel to thesides 112 and 114 and are equi-distantly spaced therefrom.

After the connector is formed out of sheet metal, it is folded overalong the center line to form two pointed edge portions 124 and 126.Portions 124 and 126 can be separated slightly with the fingers so thata conductor 128 (FIGURE 11) may be inserted into the clip along itsfolded-over portion adjacent the openings 120 and 122. With theconductor 128 in place, the pointed edge portions 124 and 126 areinserted into a receptacle 58. The receptacle holds the sides of theclip together and thereby tightly secures the conductor therein.

An embodiment of the receptacle means 164 is shown in FIGURES 14-16.This receptacle means is adapted to be used in place of the receptaclemeans shown in FIGURE 6 and may be blanked out from a strip of sheetmetal similar to that used to form clip 68. After the receptacle means164 has been blanked out, it comprises a member 165 having lateralextensions 166, 166' and electrical connector receiving means whichinclude arcuate shaped legs 170, 172 resiliently in engagement with eachother. As shown, legs 170, 172 contain two sections but each leg can bea solid piece of material if desired. A blade 74 of an electricalconnector can be inserted between resilient legs 170, 172 as shown inFIG- URE so that it can be readily engaged or disengaged.

Each leg is connected to member 165 by a piece 167. Abutting members 167extend outwardly from each side of pieces 167. Each leg also contains adownwardly directed part 168. Each extension 166, 166' has a downwardlydirected section 169 which has a sharp corner that is adapted to scrapeand penetrate the insulation of the tape to make connection with acorresponding conductor thereof.

Turning now to FIGURE 15, the receptacle means 164 are shown mountedinto each of the slots 58 of block 56. Each slot 58' has on the interiorthereof flanges 158 directed toward the axis of the slot which define aplane upper surface and an inclined lower surface. Spaced from thebottom of each slot on each end of each side surface, there are abuttingsurfaces 159.

As each receptacle means 164 is pushed into a corresponding slot 58 fromthe bottom, parts 168 of the legs engage the inclined surfaces offlanges 158. Upon additional pressure being applied to the receptaclemeans, parts 168 pass beyond the inclined surfaces and the bottom edgesof parts 168 rest on the plane upper surfaces of the flanges 158. Thisserves to lock the receptacle means in its corresponding slot. Alsoabuttingmem'bers 167 engage against corresponding abutting surfaces 159which act as stop means to limit the inward movement of the receptaclemeans within the slot when the block 56 is inserted into the base memberA to bring the sections 169 into electrical engagement with theconductor of the cable.

The outer ends of abutting members 167' as shown in FIGURE 16 engage theends of the apertures in order to limit the lateral movement of thereceptacle means.

As can be seen when observing the receptacle means in FIGURE 15 withouta blade 74 therein, the parts 168 do not engage the side walls of theslot. The 'reason for this is to enable a special tool to be insertedwithin the slot in order to press legs 170, 172 toward each other untilparts 168 are free of the upper plane surfaces of the flanges 158 sothat the receptacle means can be removed from its slot.

Another reason for parts 168 not engaging the side walls of the slot isthat when the blade 74 is inserted within the receptacle means, theparts 168 are moved intoengagement with the side walls therebydecreasing the frictional resistance of the legs of the receptacle Sucha feature aids in the insertion of connectors; especially if they aresubject to being easily bent.

The insert B of FIGURES 15 and 16 is the same as that shown in FIGURES1-3, 5 and 10 with exception to the receptacle means 164 so that theoperation of this embodiment is the same as that of the latter mentionedfigures.

As can be discerned, the receptacle means 164 of FIG- URES 14-16 isre-movably secured in clamping means B in order to easily remove ittherefrom for cleaning, replacement or other purposes; whereas thereceptacle means 64 of FIGURES 1-3 is secured in clamping means B byan-insulat-ing strip bonded thereto so that it is not readily removedtherefrom.

Changes in construction will occur to those skilled in the art andvarious apparently different modifications and embodiments may be madewithout departing from the scope of the invention. The matter set forthin the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by wayof illustration only. The actual scope of the invention is intended tobe defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical connector comprising a base member having risersections extending along opposite sides to define a channel havinginclined side wall means for receiving insulated cable means havingconductor means along said side wall means and in engagement with abottom surface of said channel, clamping means having a section matablewith said channel, conductor means in said clamping means and includingconductor-engaging means extending outwardly from sides of said section,clamp members extending outwardly from opposite sides of said clampingmeans in the same direction as said conductor-engaging means and beingshaped to press said cable means against exterior surfaces of said basemember, and means to secure said clamping means to said base member withsaid cable means in said channel between said section and the side wallmeans and bottom surface of said channel, said conductor-engaging meansdisposed toward said side wall means of said riser section with saidcable means being wedged therebetween and said conductor means and said,clamp members extending along said exterior surfaces of said risersections with said cable means therebetween.

2. An electrical connector according to claim 1 wherein guide membersextend outwardly from said riser sections to properly align said cablemeans in said channel.

3. A cable connecting and clamping device for providing connection withconductor means of insulated cable means and for clamping said cablemeans thereto, said device comprising a base member having a channeldisposed therein including at least one inwardlyconverging side wall forreceiving said cable means therealong crossways of said channel, aclamping element having a section matable wit-h said channel, connectormeans in said clamping element and including conductor-engaging meansextending outwardly from sides of said section, clamp means extendingoutwardly from said sides of said section in a direction parallel withrespect to said conductor-engaging means and being shaped to press saidcable means against exterior surfaces of the base member, and means tosecure said base member, clamping element and cable means togethercausing, during the securing action, said section to mate with saidchannel, said conductor-engaging means to wedge said cable means againstthe side wall of said ohannel and penetrate the insulation of said cablemeans and electrically engage said conductor means, and said clamp meansto bend said cable means along the exterior surfaces of said base'memberwith said clamp means resting adjacent respective exterior surfaces andsaid cable means disposed therebetween.

4. A connector assembly according to claim 3 wherein guide means areprovided on said base member to guide said cable means into saidchannel.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS JOSEPH D. SEERS,Primary Examiner.

1. AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR COMPRISING A BASE MEMBER HAVING RISERSECTIONS EXTENDING ALONG OPPOSITE SIDES TO DEFINE A CHANNEL HAVINGINCLINED SIDE WALL MEANS FOR RECEIVING INSULATED CABLE MEANS HAVINGCONDUCTOR MEANS ALONG SAID SIDE WALL MEANS AND IN ENGAGEMENT WITH ABOTTOM SURFACE OF SAID CHANNEL, CLAMPING MEANS HAVING A SECTION MATABLEWITH SAID CHANNEL, CONDUCTOR MEANS IN SAID CLAMPING MEANS AND INCLUDINGCONDUCTOR-ENGAGING MEANS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SIDES OF SAID SECTION,CLAMP MEMBERS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID CLAMPINGMEANS IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS SAID CONDUCTOR-ENGAGING MEANS AND BEINGSHAPED TO PRESS SAID CABLE MEANS AGAINST EXTERIOR SURFACES OF SAID BASEMEMBER, AND MEANS TO SECURE SAID CLAMPING MEANS TO SAID BASE MEMBER WITHSAID CABLE MEANS IN SAID CHANNEL BETWEEN SAID SECTION AND THE SIDE WALLMEANS AND BOTTOM SURFACE OF SAID CHANNEL, SAID CONDUCTOR-ENGAGING